The fourth edition of ILLUMI RUN took runners on a Neon Paradise Adventure by the beach. The running course of 5 km long featured 5 glow zones where runners were doused with colourful Illumi glow water by the enthusiastic organisers.

ILLUMI RUN attracted the most energetic crowd I’ve ever seen in a race. The crowd literally jumped, sang, and danced the heart out before and after the run.

Categories and Benefits

There were 3 main categories to choose from: FOMO, YOLO and Neon Star. Both FOMO and YOLO are considered Regular Illumi Runners, the only difference was the price. FOMO is the early bird version of YOLO. The entitlements for FOMO and YOLO are: splash out shirt, swag bag, foam stick, goggles and free admission to Sentosa (including monorail entry from Vivo City).

My partner and I registered under YOLO Individual category. I was pleasantly surprised to find no advertisers or sponsors’ promotion materials, except for a bottle of You C1000 isotonic lemon water which was useful for hydrating after the run.

Pre-Race Activities

The race village at Palawan Green opened at 5 p.m., two and half hours prior to the flag off, blasting off electrifying tunes from the stage at the centre of the village. Eager party-lovers got the chance to warm up by dancing to the beats.

To help runners get ready for the run, the passionate staffs at Splash Zone were generous in spraying glow water from hand-held gun to innocent runners. At Neon Makeover, runners got dolled up by neon makeup artists. Runners who love to stand out from the crowd got themselves adorned with pink or green tutu skirts from Merchandise booth.

The inflatable giant flow slide ensured that runners get soaked in glow water and drenched in massive dose of fun. Snacks & Booze tent had what runners need to satisfy their hunger and thirst.

The Race

The starting pen opened at 7 p.m. as the sky was transitioning into the dark. We waited patiently for the official flag off scheduled at 7.30 p.m. The waiting time was never dull, thanks to continuous music and animated fellow runners. We turned on the lights of our foam sticks and googles, and moved our body to the beats.

Fellow runners, who are mostly teenagers, sang and danced to their heart’s content. We were obviously the older generation who were not familiar with current music trend as we couldn’t recognise most of the songs.

Once the clock hit 7.30 p.m., we were led to a mini stage, partying to more music, while getting doused with Illumi glow water. After we received a fair share of glow water, the race started. With glow water all over our body, we were definitely ready to illuminate the night.

Each glow zones were set up with inflatable balloons, forming the shape of an arch. The underside of the arch is decorated with certain theme and ultraviolet light. The glow water stains on our body turned into shiny and colourful neon under the arch.

Not long after the start line, we arrived at the first glow zone, Cosmic Land. We didn’t meet any glow water army here. The old man mentality in us was too scared to be dirty.

But we weren’t so lucky in the next glow zones (Candy Pop, A Beach Life, Flower Dreams, and Neon Rainforest). Glow water army soldiers were not always visible due to low light, and we got attacked successfully a lot of the time. Because they always attacked from our right side, we made a mental note to always run on the left side when approaching the glow zones.

ILLUMI RUN 2016 participants beam with joy while being splashed with ILLUMI Glow Water along one of the paradise-themed glow zones.

The running course consisted of a variety of pavement, sandy beach, grasses and trails. The staffs were very helpful in ushering and advising participants of what to expect especially at locations with mudholes and uneven surfaces. At the places with no light poles, organisers helped to light the paths with portable spotlights. And they happily helped participants taking photos when requested.

We reached the finish line at about 8.30 p.m. We walked throughout the entire course. When a staff saw us walking to the race village at the end of the course, he exclaimed, “Welcome to Illumi Walk. Give me high five!” So we did.

After-Run Party

The after-run party started at 9 p.m. with DJ Tinc live in action, followed by CJ Cookie and ended by Rave Republic. A spectacular show of fireworks concluded the night. We, two old people, were too tired after the run. We decided to skip the party and head back home, as we needed to go to work the next day.

Eva is a casual runner who has been hooked on marathons since her first race in 2011. She’s content to spend her weekends only on running. She is also a hiking enthusiast and traveling addict. When she’s not doing outdoor activities, she indulges in reading.